PUTTING A HEART & FACE TO THE SUDAN

The most important muscle in the human body is the heart, and its greatest attribute is empathy towards the unique life, beauty and struggle of others. With that being said… Let me put a face to the Sudan for you...ME! 

 That’s why giving my deepest prayers to the citizens and victims of Sudan isn’t enough. Sudan is where I was born, in a refugee camp after my parents escaped a civil war in Ethiopia in the 80s.

I was born in a time of war, and decades later there’s still war, which is insane to me. Sometimes I wonder, how can I be a product of a war that’s experiencing such awful tragedies, and how was I blessed and fortunate enough to get out?

I know, had it not been for the miraculous lightning captured in a bottle thousands of miles away by a Virginia church choosing to take a chance on a young family to live in America, I could’ve been right there with those innocent women who are being tortured, raped and killed. 

 As Americans we tend to live in a bubble, and believe that tragedy in other nations has nothing to do with us. It’s not our problem so why would we care? We look at these dire situations as if it’s a movie and something unreal. But it’s real and we’ve become way too desensitized.

 As a society we avoid conversations that are difficult or uncomfortable. So, what I encourage us all to do is some research so we can learn and TALK ABOUT IT.

The opposition in Sudan are fighting for simple civil and human rights, democracy. Certain basic rights we too often take for granted. If you think some of the same elements don’t plague our country you are sadly mistaken. Even in America, 1 in 5 children don’t have food to eat. Regardless of your political views the number of citizens that don’t vote in America blows my mind. These are rights that were fought for and people in Sudan are fighting for. There are cities without clean water...HERE! Not Africa, somewhere right here at home in the U.S. We gotta start caring and having a heart…and to do this we gotta TALK ABOUT IT!

So, let’s tap into our heart muscle and begin conditioning ourselves to be empathetic and courageous enough it to care and talk. Tell me your thoughts, your prayers and any proposed solutions! #Sudan